Administrative Contact:
One of the three contacts on a domain name registration. The administrative contact has the ability to update the domain and modify its details.

Billing Contact:
One of the three contacts on a domain name registration. The billing contact will receive invoice / billing details and be notified when the domain is up for renewal.

DNS:
A distributed database of information that is used to translate domain names, which are easy for humans to remember and use, into Internet Protocol (IP) numbers, which are what computers need to find each other on the Internet. People working on computers around the globe maintain their specific portion of this database, and the data held in each portion of the database is made available to all computers and users on the Internet. The DNS comprises computers, data files, software, and people working together.

IP Address:
A unique, numeric identifier used to specify hosts and networks. Internet Protocol (IP) numbers are part of a global, standardized scheme for identifying machines that are connected to the Internet. Technically speaking, IP numbers are 32 bit addresses that consist of four octets, and they are expressed as four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods, for example: 216.168.224.69. IP allocation for the Americas, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are currently handled by the American Registry for Internet Numbers.

Name Server:
 Also called a host or a name server. A computer that has both the software and the data (zone files) needed to resolve domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers.

Registrant:
The individual or organization that registers a specific domain name with Network Solutions. This individual or organization holds the right to use that specific domain name for a specified period of time, provided certain conditions are met and the registration fees are paid. This person or organization is the "legal entity" bound by the terms of the Service Agreement.

Registry:
A registry is responsible for delegating Internet addresses such as Internet Protocol (IP) numbers and domain names, and keeping a record of those addresses and the information associated with their delegation. Examples of regional IP registries include Reseaux IP Europeens (RIPE), Asian-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC), and the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). Examples of domain name registries include Network Solutions' Registry operation (com, net, and org) and the ISO 3166 country code registries (e.g., fr, de, uk, us).

Technical Contact:
One of the three contacts on a domain name registration. The technical contact will be informed of any technical issues with the domain and has the authority to modify the domain record.

Top Level Domain:
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the highest level of the hierarchy after the root. In a domain name, that portion of the domain name that appears furthest to the right. For example, the com in domain.com. Also known as TLD.

Whois:
A searchable database maintained by the individual registries, which contains information about networks, networking organizations, domain names, and the contacts associated with them for the com, org, net, edu, and ISO 3166 country code top-level domains. Also, the protocol, or set of rules, that describes the application used to access the database. Other organizations have implemented the Whois protocol and maintain separate and distinct Whois databases for their respective domains.

Domain Name Registration